Lionel Messi Breaks Record Of Winning Most Matches In FIFA World Cup

Published 22 June 2026 · sports

Lionel Messi Breaks Record Of Winning Most Matches In FIFA World Cup Published By, Last Updated: June 23, 2026, 03:23 IST Messi, who is already

Lionel Messi Breaks Record Of Winning Most Matches In FIFA World Cup Published By, Last Updated: June 23, 2026, 03:23 IST Messi, who is already the most-capped player in FIFA World Cup history with 28 appearances, has now also become the player with the most wins in the competition (18). Lionel Messi breaks record of winning most matches in FIFA World Cup. (Picture Credit: AP) 38-year-old Lionel Messi scored his record-breaking 17th FIFA World Cup goal on Monday (June 22) and added another before the final whistle to help Argentina register their second straight win of the FIFA World Cup 2026. In the Group J match played at AT&T Stadium in Arlington in front of 70,649 fans, Messi’s brace guided Argentina to a 2-0 victory over Austria. The win over Austria helped Argentina book their place in the Round of 32 of the ongoing 48-team tournament in North America. It also enabled Messi to break the record for the most FIFA World Cup matches won by a player. All the records broken by Lionel Messi today:Most FIFA World Cup finals goals by a football (soccer) player – 18 Most FIFA World Cup matches played in by an individual – 28 Most matches won by a player at the football (soccer) FIFA World Cup – 18 Most minutes played in the… — Guinness World Records (@GWR) June 22, 2026 Messi, who is already the most-capped player in FIFA World Cup history with 28 appearances, has now also become the player with the most wins in the competition, with 18 victories to his name. Messi is followed on the list by former Germany striker Miroslav Klose, who played 24 FIFA World Cup matches across four editions and won 17 of them.

Players to win most matches in FIFA World Cup POSITION PLAYER COUNTRY MATCHES WINS TOURNAMENTS 1. Lionel Messi Argentina 28 18 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, 2026 2. Miroslav Klose Germany 24 17 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014 3. Cafu Brazil 20 16 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006 =4. Wolfgang Overath West Germany 19 15 1966, 1970, 1974 =4. Ronaldo Brazil 19 15 1998, 2002, 2006 =4. Philipp Lahm Germany 20 15 2006, 2010, 2014 =4. Bastian Schweinsteiger Germany 20 15 2006, 2010, 2014 =4. Lothar Matthaus West Germany/Germany 25 15 1982, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998 =5. Lucio Brazil 17 14 2002, 2006, 2010 =5. Franz Beckenbauer West Germany 18 14 1966, 1970, 1974 =5. Olivier Giroud France 18 14 2014, 2018, 2022 =5. Antoine Griezmann France 19 14 2014, 2018, 2022 =5. Per Mertesacker Germany 19 14 2006, 2010, 2014 =5. Hugo Lloris France 20 14 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022 =5. Paolo Maldini Italy 23 14 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002 Messi, who made his FIFA World Cup debut for Argentina against Serbia and Montenegro at Arena AufSchalke in Gelsenkirchen on June 16, 2006, is one of only two players to have featured in six editions of the FIFA World Cup. He has won 21 of his 28 FIFA World Cup matches for Argentina, including three victories in penalty shootouts. Two matches ended in draws, while five resulted in defeats. Lionel Messi in FIFA World Cup EDITION AGAINST GOAL RESULT VENUE DATE 2006 Serbia and Montenegro 1 Win (6-0) Arena AufSchalke, Gelsenkirchen June 16, 2006 Netherlands 0 Draw (0-0) Waldstadion, Frankfurt June 21, 2006 Mexico (R16) 0 Win (2-1 a.e.t) Zentralstadion, Leipzig June 24, 2006 2010 Nigeria 0 Win (1-0) Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg June 12, 2010 South Korea 0 Win (4-1) Soccer City, Johannesburg June 17, 2010 Greece 0 Win (2-0) Peter Mokaba Stadium, Polokwane June 22, 2010 Mexico (R16) 0 Win (3-1) Soccer City, Johannesburg June 27, 2010 Germany (Q/F) 0 Loss (0-4) Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town July 3, 2010 2014 Bosnia and Herzegovina 1 Win (2-1) Estádio do Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro June 15, 2014 Iran 1 Win (1-0) Estádio Mineirão, Belo Horizonte June 21, 2014 Nigeria 2 Win (3-2) Estádio Beira-Rio, Porto Alegre June 25, 2014 Switzerland (R16) 0 Win (1-0 a.e.t.) Arena Corinthians, São Paulo July 1, 2014 Belgium (Q/F) 0 Win (1-0) Estádio Nacional Mané Garrincha, Brasília July 5, 2014 Netherlands (Semifinal) 0 Draw (0-0) won on penalties Arena Corinthians, São Paulo July 9, 2014 Germany (Final) 0 Loss (0-1 a.e.t.) Maracanã Stadium, Rio de Janeiro July 13, 2014 2018 Iceland 0 Draw (1-1) Otkritie Arena, Moscow June 16, 2018 Croatia 0 Loss (0-3) Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, Nizhny Novgorod June 21, 2018 Nigeria 1 Win (2-1) Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg June 26, 2018 France (R16) 0 Loss (3-4) Kazan Arena, Kazan June 30, 2018 2022 Saudi Arabia 1 Loss (1-2) Lusail Stadium, Lusail November 22, 2022 Mexico 1 Win (2-0) Lusail Stadium, Lusail November 26, 2022 Poland 0 Win (2-0) Stadium 974, Doha November 30, 2022 Australia (R16) 1 Win (2-1) Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan December 3, 2022 Netherlands (Q/F) 1 Draw (2-2) won on penalties Lusail Stadium, Lusail December 9, 2022 Croatia (Semifinal) 1 Win (3-0) Lusail Stadium, Lusail December 13, 2022 France (Final) 2 Draw (3-3) won on penalties Lusail Stadium, Lusail December 18, 2022 2026 Algeria 3 Win (3-0) Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City June 16, 2026 Austria 2 Win (2-0) AT&T Stadium, Arlington June 22, 2026 Most goals in FIFA WC After scoring a hat-trick against Algeria in Argentina’s opening match of the FIFA World Cup 2026, Messi scored twice in Argentina’s second Group J match against Austria.